Cornet relishing France's latest Billie Jean King Cup love affair
05/11/2023 22:05
The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals have been a long time coming for Alize Cornet, who is savouring every second with her French teammates
By Molly McElwee
Alize Cornet is by far the most experienced Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge player in Seville this week.
Remarkably, this is her 27th nomination for France in a career that has spanned 14 years in this event. She ranks fourth in France’s all-time list in terms of most ties played in the competition (23) and is raring to go again.
As well as her individual know-how, she says her France team-mates feel buoyed by the fact they know what it takes to win this esteemed tournament – which is more than most can say.
There are 10 players in Seville who have won at least one Billie Jean King Cup title during their careers and three of them are on the French squad: Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic and Cornet.
“We know what we can do, and I think that makes a huge difference,” Cornet tells billiejeankingcup.com.
“We know that we can bring out our best tennis with the French team. We know what the captain [Julien Benneteau] can give to us on the court and the way he can help us be the best versions of ourselves.
“I’m very proud to be part of this journey for so long. I heard two days ago that it was my 27th selection in the French team. I started when I was 18. It was a dream, you know, to be part of the of the French team. I’ve kept the dream for all those years. I mean, each time I'm called in the French team, I’m always super happy, super proud to represent my country.
“We’ve won it in the past, we won the ex-Billie Jean King Cup in 2019. Even if it was a different format, I think the spirit of the team was already there.”
France are three-time champions – most recently in 2019, in a dramatic 3-2 win over Australia in Perth – and are currently ranked fourth.
Earlier this year, they defeated Great Britain 3-1 in the Qualifiers in Coventry to secure their place at this week’s Finals.
As well as Cornet, Mladenovic and Garcia, the team includes youngsters Clara Burel and Varvara Gracheva – the latter could make her debut for France this week.
They begin the Finals on Wednesday at 10am (CET) against Italy, before following up against Germany on Friday morning at 10am – two teams who they have leading head-to-head records against. If they were to lift the trophy come Sunday, France would become only the seventh nation to win the title on at least four occasions.
Their hope is that 33-year-old Cornet's experience, and that of her team-mates, will prove an advantage. Mladenovic's 25 match wins over her Billie Jean King Cup career puts her fifth in France’s all-time list, while Garcia's tally of 14 singles victories is the fourth-best for France.
The top-ranked French player, Garcia has won four of her last five matches for her country, meaning she and the team are brimming with confidence. For Cornet, the experience of playing team tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup never gets old.
“It’s the highlight of the year. We’ve been waiting for this moment for more than six months,” Cornet says. “It’s been a long time since we've been reunited and we're very happy about that.
“Especially here in Sevilla, a wonderful city I’ve been wanting to visit, so I’m really glad to be here. I'll definitely take some time outside of the practice in the matches to take a look at it. The venue is nice, I think they did a really good job. Just being back with the team and celebrating being qualified for this event is really cool.”
